Recently therr was an article in the Brattleboro Reformer about a discussion to let voters in Wilmington vote on expenditures over $50,000, and maybe even $25,000 from the 1% sales tax. Now I have seen it all. No wonder nothing ever gets done in this valley. We have a Dover Economic Development Committee, and another one in Wilmington, not to mention a valley chamber, so now we want to do their job.

When it was proposed to add a 15 tax, it was sold on the basis of economic development, for a valley in bad need of business. Then the discussion turned to reducing property taxes, fix roads, clean up from Irene etc. I guess next we will vote on whether to plow after a two inch versus four inch snow storm, or if the police can put two patrolmen on in a given day, or if we should change light bulb in the town garage. I love democracy, except when it doesn’t work. Since when does a cook, carpenter, dishwasher, lawyer, or doctor know more about marketing, than someone in marketing. Do we vote on the treatment a doctor proposes?

If we don’t grow up as a town, and valley, we should just close it. The towns people, and select boards should judge those we hire for economic development over time, and stay out of their way day to day, or nothing will get done. If I micromanaged the companies I ran the way we run these towns, they all would have been bankrupt. Maybe what we need is a dictator. If the Vision 2000 group who created the MOOver, and valley trail among other things, had put those up for a vote, we wouldn’t have any of them. In addition, the majority of those taxes came from expenditures at inns, restaurants, shops, Mount Snow etc, from visitors and second homeowners, not from us.

Could'nt agree more Jim. Everyone should read what Ann Coleman had to say about trying to get her buisness up and operating again, it's clear how much the old guard at the town offices have their head up their you know what.